Does my computer's fan have a problem?

Question

I bought a Dell Inspiron 1525 notebook in February 2008, and the past few months I've been having a problem with the fan.  It seems like if I open just a few programs, the fan will start running, and sometimes accelerate in noise and speed, or the fan will shut off.  It varies.

Eventually, if the fan runs long enough when its really loud, the computer shuts off.

I currently have a little electric fan that I use to blow right onto the bottom of the notebook, and this seems to do the trick because the computer fan shuts off when the electric fan is on.  However, I obviously can't do this all the time because it gets quite cold where I live in the winter, so having a cool-air fan blowing onto the computer and my lap wouldn't be fun.

What exactly is the problem with my computer, and should I look into having it fixed?

cholley_dooo · Accepted Answer

the fan might have a bad bearing causing the noise and it's not cooling enough and thats why it shuts down, it's common just google it and it might be something you can fix yourself or take it to a shop

Anonymous · Answer

It may just need a good cleaning especially now that you have a fan blowing dust along with air into your computer. It is definitely worth having it fixed before you mother board overheats and causes more serious problems.

Anonymous · Answer

well i have been using my computer ever since i was in 3rd grade ^^
now im 16 years old so u can take the year back ^^ BIRTH 1992

anyways when ur fan is going loud, u either bought a laptop thats made for high graphics for movies or gaming. the fan spins hard when u are programming something with high graphics

or..ur probably covering the fan's air hole where heats get out.

my last solution is it is either u left ur laptop on for awhile without rest or just a malfunction during the process of making  the laptop ^^

mark r · Answer

Check out speedfan.  It is a program that will check the temperature of your laptops components and automatically control when you fan turns on and off.

Chances are your laptop is overheating, if you bought it new contact the manufacturer and see if there are any patches necessary, or have a qualified tech check it out.

IBMGuy · Answer

It is usually normal for the fan to speed up and slow down according to the workload, but the reason it may be more prominent now is that it could be that the heatsink is clogged up.

shoutingsteve · Answer

I am pretty sure that your fan is fine, but your heatsink is dirty.  Take some canned air (or a vacuum cleaner (or both)) and blow it out/ suck it out.  Your fan is doing the job, but you will be amazed by the junk that you get out of your computer.
the shutting off is due to overheating.

Mactavmn · Answer

you are probably overheating, make sure you're always using your laptop on a hard flat or slanted surface, because couch material and sheets contour to the fan holes on the bottom and dont allow cooling, this puts alot of ware on the internal parts. try getting one of those fan pads to set your laptop on

»♥|Lεε-;*| Badd .?? · Answer

Maybe your computer gets over heated. and the fan is not doing its job.you should get it fixed.

Aero Speed · Answer

youre fan may be defected get a better one

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Does my computer's fan have a problem?

9 Answers